Jonathan Bairstow

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Andrew Strauss (326 runs at 65.20) 9: Redemption at Lord's followed by a second successive hundred at Trent Bridge (to prove that Test match centuries can be like London buses) set up his side's victories in the first two Tests. A touch negative in the field during Samuels' and Sammy's big stand at Nottingham and also when Best and Ramdin caused chaos at Edgbaston.

Alastair Cook (176 runs at 44.00) 6: Failed in the 1st innings of every Test and only made it to 24 at Trent Bridge after being reprieved twice by Roach no balls, but anchored a tricky run chase at Lord's with 79 vital runs and was there at the end at Nottingham whilst looking in decent enough nick.

Jonathan Trott (140 runs at 35.00) 5: Another to look in good touch but could only manage a top score of 58, which was unlike his usual ruthless self. Perhaps he is saving some big innings for his fellow South Africans?

Kevin Pietersen (203 runs at 50.75) 7: Looked in tremendous form at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston but was unable to turn scores of 80 and 78 into big three figure scores. Courted controversy once again by retiring from limited overs internationals but South Africa should beware as KP looks in the mood.

Ian Bell (222 runs at 111.00) 8: No doosra (or Saeed Ajmal), no cry for Bell who eased back into his 2011 vintage with three fifties from four innings with the most crucial coming in the 2nd innings at Lord's when England had stumbled to 57 for four chasing 191.

Jonathan Bairstow (38 runs at 12.66) 3: Started promisingly with a brief cameo of 16 at Lord's but was all at sea at Trent Bridge against the short ball. It is harsh to judge him on four brief innings, but an in-form Ravi Bopara is clearly a better bet against South Africa's daunting pace attack.

Matt Prior (35 runs at 17.50) 5: Whilst his work with the gloves was its usual high quality, he for once failed to cash in against his favourite opponents where in two innings he was bowled through the gate each time.

Tim Bresnan (12 wickets at 33.00; 39 runs at 39.00) 6: Disappointing at Lord's but back to his bustling best at Trent Bridge with eight wickets and an important 39 not out. if Edgbaston is anything to go by, he is far better as a third seamer than the leader of the attack. Winning run ended on 13 by the rain in Birmingham.

Stuart Broad (14 wickets at 21.71; 35 runs at 17.50) 8: Opened up with a career best eleven wicket match haul at Lord's and since the start of the India series last summer has 54 wickets at 18.88 and a batting average of 32.27. That is world-class in any language. Rested for Edgbaston but was still the leading wicket taker in the series.

Graeme Swann (6 wickets at 47.00; 31 runs at 15.50) 6: The pitches offered him scant assistance but took the vital wickets of Bravo and Chanderpaul as West Indies fought hard second time around at Lord's. Should come into his own against the South Africans in the summer's main event.

James Anderson (9 wickets at 26.88; 6 runs at 3.00) 8: Bowled better than his figures suggest, beat the bat countless times and is now the personification of consistency as he barely wastes a ball. Wasn't happy to be rested for Edgbaston where England missed his skill with the ball and nous as the attack leader. His forthcoming dual with Dale Steyn should be fascinating.

Steve Finn (1 Test, three for 109; 0*) 5: The 'next cab off the rank' came in at Edgbaston as Anderson and Broad were rested and mixed up some unplayable deliveries with several balls - especially in the record last wicket partnership - that were lacking in line or length.

Graham Onions (1 Test, four for 88; DNB) 7: England's decision to rotate their seamers handed the Durham bowler his first Test cap for two and a half years after a serious back injury. He was the pick of the attack with four wickets and may have moved ahead of Finn now in the pecking order.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Andrew Strauss - 9: So, Test hundreds are like London buses for the skipper. After the relief of Lord's this was much more like the old Strauss versus opponents against whom he has six hundreds and an average of 50.

Alastair Cook - 6: Was unable to cash in after being dismissed twice off no-balls in the 1st innings effectively making his score 24 for three, before as at Lord's anchoring a serene progress to victory in the run chase.

Jonathan Trott - 6: Was in immaculate form before a slightly unlucky leg before decision (the ball was just clipping leg) stopped him in his tracks - on this showing though a big score can only be just around the corner.

Kevin Pietersen - 7: Can someone please tell me how KP can play a Dilscoop in a Test match?? Ridiculous. That maybe so, but England's premier batsman looked in ominous form during his knock of 80, which bodes well for the visit of his native South Africa later this summer.

Ian Bell - 5: Like Trott, looked in great touch before playing across the line and being trapped in front.

Jonathan Bairstow - 1: Given a thorough examination against the short ball and failed dismally, which doesn't auger well for the challenge ahead against Steyn and Morkel.

Matt Prior - 5: As sound as ever with the gloves, but as at Lord's only a fleeting cameo with the bat at a time when England needed him to stay in the middle.

Tim Bresnan - 9: Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not for this Yorkshireman: eight wickets, useful runs, a glorious spell of reverse swing on the fourth evening, a continuation of his unblemished winning streak and not a cheese sandwich in sight.

Stuart Broad - 7: Had to be content with the support cast after his starring role at Lord's but made inroads with the new ball on the first morning and took the prize wicket of Chanderpaul second time around.

James Anderson - 8: Two wickets in each innings with the new ball and a stunning catch to get rid of Barath on the first morning, but perhaps showed too much frustration during Sammy and Samuels' big stand.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Andrew Strauss - 9: It wasn't just a monkey that the skipper removed from his back when he finally reached three figures after 19 months and 26 innings, it was an especially large and heavy mountain gorilla. What will certain elements of the press have to talk about now?

Alastair Cook - 7: Looked horrified to play on in the first dig having played himself in but made up for it in the run chase to quell English nerves and ease his side to victory.

Jonathan Trott - 6: If it wasn't for his fastidiousness and quirky ways, England's number three would be practically invisible so unobtrusive is he at the crease. But his first innings 58 is there on the scorecard, not that we can remember much about it.

Kevin Pietersen - 5: Was in prime form first time around before nicking one behind to Samuels' part-time spin before another poor shot briefly looked to have put England in the brown stuff as they chased on the final morning.

Ian Bell - 8: A couple of attractive sixties were just what the doctor ordered after his dreadful winter expedition to Asia. Now averages 110 in his last ten Tests In England. Tom Jones would doubtless refer to it as the green, green grass of home.

Jonathan Bairstow - 5: Brief but attractive cameo with the bat, smart piece of fielding to run out Kirk Edwards and held onto a sharp chance at point to get rid of Samuels in the 1st innings. A promising enough start.

Matt Prior - 6: Another one to sparkle briefly with the bat versus opponents against whom he averages 63. Was as reliable and tidy as ever behind the stumps.

Tim Bresnan - 4: The lucky charm extended his run to 12 wins from 12 Tests, but was not at his best with the ball and didn't trouble the scorers with the bat. May drop out for Finn at Trent Bridge.

Stuart Broad - 9: Fully deserved his man of the match award for his eleven wickets and is now on the honours board at the home of cricket for ball and bat. Has now taken 51 wickets at 17 since the start of the India series last summer. That is world-class in anyone's language.

Graeme Swann - 7: The pitch offered scant assistance, but his three 2nd innings wickets included the key one of Chanderpaul and he would have had him in the 1st innings too if Strauss had listened to his plea for a review for a leg before.

James Anderson - 7: Hit the right groove immediately on the first morning and bowled well enough - the ball to get Ramdin on day four was a beauty, but was not quite at the level he was in Sri Lanka in April. But if Jimmy don't get you then Broady will.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

It may not have quite attained quite the same gravitas as other great questions of our time such as Boris or Ken, Redknapp or Hodgson, or indeed Who shot JR, but with the 1st Test against West Indies just one week away, the identity of England’s number six is the topic of fevered speculation – well it is in our neck of the woods anyway.

So, what better for our latest piece for All Out Cricket then to mull over the likely runners and riders, which include in our view the current Surrey captain (that’ll get the inverse snobs going). Have a read of Who Will Be England’s Number Six?and see whether it will be amongst others Mr Unlucky, Mr Splinter, Mr Orange or Mr Rank-Outsider.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Matthew Boyce (Leicestershire) – Hit a defiant near six hour ton as his side followed on against Yorkshire but was ultimately unable to prevent an innings defeat at Headingley.

Alviro Petersen (Essex) – Made a triumphant return to Cardiff with 145 out of a first innings total of 259, although rain denied him victory over his former team mates.

Joe Denly (Middlesex) – His promising start at Middlesex continued with 134 to help set up a win over Worcestershire at Lord’s – see also Our County XI to watch in 2012

Ian Bell (Warwickshire) – 2012 had thus far been an annus horribilis, but his 120 on a difficult Edgbaston pitch where the next best score was 45 not only helped his side win again but proved the old adage true of form being temporary and class being permanent.

Kane Williamson (Gloucestershire) – The overseas star saved his side from defeat with a patient and classy 128 after his side had followed on at Derby.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) – Helped the Yorkshire faithful forget Ajmal Shahzad with 182 brisk runs to set up the win at Headingley and underline his credentials as a candidate for the number six spot in the Test side should the selectors choose to look beyond Ravi Bopara.

Anthony McGrath (Yorkshire) – Made an impressive start to his reinvention as an all-rounder batting down the order with an innings of 90 and four for 21 to help enforce the follow-on against Leicestershire.

Keith Barker (Warwickshire) – Took his maiden ten wicket haul as Durham were thumped at Edgbaston to set the early pace in the running for the Most Improved Player of the Season award.

Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) – Broad, Swann and Anderson were all on show at Old Trafford, but Adams upstaged them all with a first innings seven for 32 to wrest the initiative from the title holders and then three more to wrap things up and continue Nottinghamshire’s and his flying start to the season.

David Willey (Northamptonshire) – Brought his side’s depressing start to the season to an end with eight wickets as Hampshire were put to the sword at Northampton.

Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire) – His side may have made a disastrous start to the defence of their crown but the left arm spinner continues to impress and his seven wickets in the defeat to Notts suggests he at least will enjoy the move back to Old Trafford.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Martin Guptill (Derbyshire) - With his side just 22 runs ahead on 1st innings, the New Zealander struck a brisk 137 to help set up a win and prove there is more to him than the safe pair of hands that probably helped end the Test career of Phil Hughes.

Billy Godleman (Essex) - Equalled his career best score with a patient 130 to put Essex in charge against a weak Gloucestershire side at Chelmsford.

Luke Wells (Sussex) - The 21 year old's fourth first-class hundred may have been in vain at The Oval, but Mark Ramprakash was so impressed that not only did he compare Wells to Alastair Cook, but added that Wells was "possibly better technically".

Riki Wessels (Nottinghamshire) - The budding web site entrepreneur showed he can bat a bit too by striking his first Championship hundred for Notts as his side recovered to beat Worcestershire after being bowled out on the opening day for 118. The extra publicity should do his flourishing business the world of good - perhaps Alan Sugar should consider donning the pads too?

Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire) - He may not be the finished article with the gloves, but his brilliant hundred at Headingley not only helped save Yorkshire against Kent but confirmed he is a real contender for the number six spot in England's Test side.

Tom Maynard (Surrey) - Revived Surrey's 1st innings with a brisk 86 not out and then added a crucial 136 with Rory Hamilton-Brown in the 2nd innings to give his side a decisive advantage. A good start to the season for one of our XI to watch.

Mat Coles (Kent) - Doesn't get in for his supposed strongest suit with the ball, but for his maiden first-class hundred from number nine at Headingley. His all-round aspirations appear to be well-founded.

David Wainwright (Derbyshire) - Starred in his first game since moving from Headingley by bowling his side to victory over Northants with figures of six for 33.

Vernon Philander (Somerset) - It was hardly surprising that the man who takes wickets for fun at Test level opened his Somerset account with a five wicket haul at Taunton. Ended up with match figures of seven for 81 from 38 overs.

Robbie Joesph (Leicestershire) - Took 12 wickets on his debut for the County as Leicestershire recovered from losing wickets to the first two balls of the match at Grace Road and equal the number of championship wins they managed in the entire season last year.

George Dockrell (Somerset) - Only appeared once last season, but an immaculate exhibition of spin bowling, which saw him take six for 27 in 20.1 overs and eight wickets in the match against Middlesex at Taunton means we will see much more of the talented Irishman in 2012.

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

In the words of their own Chairman, Yorkshire's players were a bloody disgrace as they were relegated last season. Their woes were compounded when Lancashire finally ended their 77 year long wait for the title.

Strengths

Where do you start? The squad is a seriously good one. Ryan Sidebottom oozes class with the new ball, Tim Bresnan should play a few games, Ajmal Shahzad can surely not endure as poor a season as last nor Adil Rashid. The batting is bristling with talent with Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow and captain Andrew Gale leading the way. Phil Jacques is an excellent choice as overseas batsman and could do what Jacques Rudolph did for years.

Weaknesses

An unerring ability to shoot themselves in the foot. Expectations will be high so a good start will be necessary to prevent the loss of form and confidence suffered by the likes of Shahzad, Rashid and Adam Lyth last season

Main man

The star of Adil Rashid waned dramatically in 2011, but leg spinners tend to mature like a fine bottle of Chateau Lafitte - it takes time, care and patience. The arrival of Jason Gillespie as coach and the prospect of a long line of quivvering Division 2 batsmen could provide the spur that the 24 year old needs to revive his fortunes.

Look out for

Plenty of quips, barbs and controversy as Geoffrey Boycott takes a turn at being President. The sight of him in the nets with a stick of rhubarb will be one to behold.

Thursday, February 09, 2012

As potential banana skins go, tomorrow’s 50 over warm-up match between England and the Lions is a particularly slippery one surrounded by a cricket square sized area of treacherous black ice that is invisible to the naked eye.

On the one hand you have a team mostly coming in on the back of a chastening 3-0 Test series whitewash trying to immediately adjust to the 50 over game. Either that or in the case of Ravi Bopara for example, having spent the last three weeks carrying drinks.

Whilst on the other you have a young side fresh from winning a series 3-2 against Sri Lanka A who have done nothing but play limited over cricket in Asia for the past few weeks.

When you also factor in that individuals like Jos Buttler and Jonathan Bairstow will be eager to impress coach Andy Flower in order to get the nod for the ODI series with Pakistan and others like Joe Root and Alex Hales will be striving to show that they are ready for a call-up to the first choice squad, it’s not difficult to see what is perhaps more than likely going to happen.

A couple of years ago, strong performances from Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb for the Lions against the senior squad propelled them into England’s T20 side for the victorious World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.

Who will be the big noise this time? We’re going to go for the safest of bets and predict that Buttler, a man who scored two centuries in the aforementioned trip to Sri Lanka and who averages 70.57 in List A games with a strike rate of 128. That’s pretty decent.

Flower and the senior squad are probably relieved that it is Pakistan and not they who are Afghanistan’s opposition in their first ODI tomorrow. Either way the senior side are likely to be up the Khyber come the end of proceedings tomorrow.

Friday, December 23, 2011

December 23rd is a pretty random date to start a blog about cricket, but that is exactly what we did two years ago to this day.

For once the Christmas shopping was done and we were sat in the office with nothing to do et voila.

The life of a blogger is nearly as precarious as it was to be a despot in 2011, but like Dictator Dan we managed to get through the year unscathed.

It's been a good, bad and ugly year in cricket. The good was seen in England's Ashes triumph through to the absolute walloping of India to replace them as the number one Test side. It was also seen in Lancashire's County Championship triumph, Ireland's victory over England in the World Cup, Pakistan's resurgence, MS Dhoni's batting in the World Cup final and the arrival of a number of immensely talented young cricketers such as Darren Bravo, Pat Cummins and Jonathan Bairstow.

Sadly, there was a lot of bad topped by the unseemly spot-fixing trial that saw three cricketers sent to jail. As for the ugly, one didn't need to look further than the ICC. Whether it was allowing Zimbabwe back into the Test fold, dithering over the presence of the minnows in the next World Cup, backtracking over the World Test Championship or making a hash over the use of the DRS.

We hope you've enjoyed it. We have. Now it's time for a tantrum - well we are two.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Since then every other Test playing country - even regrettably Zimbabwe - have been in action whilst the likes of Andrew Strauss have taken to their sofas, inserted their pipes and caught up with the first series of Danish sensation Forbrydelsen (that's The Killing to you and us) on BBC 4.

England's next assignment as they look to cement their position as the number one ranked side is in the unlikely surroundings of the United Arab Emirates where a three Test series with a rapidly improving Pakistan starts on January 17th in Dubai.

Whilst there is a whole host of mince pies, mulled wine and other festive delights to negotiate before then, the encounter with Team Misbah will come closer into view with the announcement of the touring party this Friday.

The selectors don't have any injuries of any significance to worry about but they will need to factor into their deliberations what make-up will be required for the slow turners that will likely be prepared for the 'home' side and their wily spinner Saeed Ajmal.

England will have to make serious consideration to foregoing their usual six batsmen policy to play two spinners in each of the three Tests. Either that or they retain a four man attack of either three seamers and one spinner or two seamers and two spinners. The squad they name will need to cover each of these eventualities.

With the six frontline batsmen picking themselves, the discussions will centre on identifying the spare batsman, back-up keeper to Matt Prior, two spinners to accompany Graeme Swann and whether to pick four or five seamers.

The spare batsman will probably be Ravi Bopara, although we'd opt for James Taylor. The keeper will be one of Steven Davies (back-up Test keeper in the last touring party, but who hasn't been seen since), Craig Kieswetter or Jonathan Bairstow (who could double up as the spare batsman) with Davies getting our vote as he is the best keeper of the three.

The choice of seamers will likely be in order of preference James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and if a fifth quick is required Steve Finn with Graham Onions next to step in.

Borthwick is a big spinner of the ball, can bat and has the added bonus of being a leg-spinner. If England play a second spinner instead of a sixth batsman than Patel could slot in at seven behind Prior. But both are probably not quite Test class yet, so Panesar plus Patel seems the best option to us.

Of course this could have been the tour to blood Adil Rashid, but he has fallen out of favour with the selectors and had an erractic season with Yorkshire last summer, so once again he will have to sit on the sidelines.

Make no doubt, Pakistan will be a tough proposition for England - as they were in 2005 just a few weeks after that famous Ashes triumph - and the selectors will need to ensure that Strauss and Andy Flower have the requisite resources and flexibility in the squad to combat the steely Misbah and his rapidly improving Pakistan side.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Alastair Cook - 4 (133 runs at 26.60, SR 84.71): A pair of sixties sandwiched three failures in the middle three games. His honeymoon as captain is well and truly over and as leader must take share of blame for England's poor discipline and negative body language in the field.

Craig Kieswetter - 4 (135 runs at 27.00, SR 101.50): Shocking performance with the gloves cost England the game in Mohali and with his batting flattering to deceive his place will come under scrutiny. Did bat well in Kolkata, though should have dug in to see his side over the line.

Jonathan Trott - 6 (202 runs at 50.50, SR 79.84): Received ridiculous and undeserved criticism after his 98* at Mohali - the only game that England ran India close in. Does need to find another gear, but it is churlish to call for his head when he has a one day average in excess of 50. Definitely not Trott's fault.

Kevin Pietersen - 6 (170 runs at 42.50, SR 82.52): Dealt with the furore of Swann's autobiography with dignity and looked close to his best in Delhi and Mohali but still couldn't pass 64 despite reaching 40 on three occasions. Hasn't scored a one day hundred for three years now.

Ravi Bopara - 2 (80 runs at 16.00, SR 62.99): Went horribly backwards after taking what seemed to be several significant steps forward in the summer. His dreadful dismissal bowled behind his legs in Kolkata could prove his international epitaph.

Ian Bell - 2 Endured a frustrating time on the sidelines before being part of the woeful collapse in Kolkata.

Jonathan Bairstow - 3 (49 runs at 12.25, SR 59.75): After all the hype from to his remarkable debut in Cardiff, the youngster looked woefully out of his depth against spin and the slower Indian wickets. Needs to learn from the experience.

Samit Patel - 6(160 runs at 40, SR 91.95; 4 wickets at 45.50, ER 6.03): One of the few plus points - memorable innings at Mohali and was as good if not better than Swann with the ball.

Tim Bresnan - 3(5 wickets at 49, ER 5.65; 61 runs at 15.25, SR 87.14): Out of sorts with the ball and proved a poor leader of the attack in the absence of Anderson and Broad, which perhaps explains his fractiousness. Useful knock in Mumbai at least gave England a slither of hope.

Graeme Swann - 2(2 wickets at 95.50, ER 5.30): Being dropped for the Mumbai game must have been a chastening experience for the side's budding Shakespeare. His performances and mood were as bad as the timing of the release of his autobiography, and the success of Ashwin and Jadeja puts his poor form even more into context.

Scott Borthwick - 2: Came in for Swann at Mumbai but didn't look even close to an international class spinner. Has plenty of promise though and the Durham leggie's time will come again.

Steven Finn - 6 (8 wickets at 31.62, ER 5.27): England's lone star with the ball was up on pace and at times the Indian batsmen found him too hot to handle. Needs to channel his temper better.

Jade Dernbach - 2(1 wicket at 168, ER 6.54): Struggled badly and completely lost the plot in the final overs at Mohali and was consequently dropped for the last two games. However, given it was his first venture on Indian pitches, should be persevered with.

Stuart Meaker - 5 (2 wickets at 55, ER 5.78): Came in at Mumbai and Kolkata, showed immense promise and character and didn't let anyone down - even if his final over at Kolkata proved to be a MS Dhoni masterclass.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow seems to have taken to playing for England as an Ian Thorpe trained duck would eagerly take to water.

Not content with blasting 41 not out off just 21 balls to see England to a hitherto unlikely win at Cardiff on his one day debut, he warmed up for the return one day series in India in even more blistering fashion yesterday.

Granted it was just a warm-up match and the Hyderabad XI hardly represented the strongest of opposition, but 104 not out off 53 balls with eight towering sixes is pretty good in anyone’s language.

All this confirmed the positive impression Bairstow made throughout the summer when he was a shining beacon of hope in an otherwise black season of despair for Yorkshire.

But let’s not get carried away.

Bairstow has made a good start. That is all.

If he repeats the trick in a couple of games in the forthcoming series, then it may be time to get a bit excited.

That’s if you can possibly get excited by an entirely unnecessary and pointless series.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Surrey won promotion to Division 1 and lifted the CB40, whilst Worcestershire defied the odds and the loss of their first six games to stay up - ditching the yo-yo tag into the process, but Lancashire have to take this for finally breaking their 77 year duck. They may have not had the strongest side on paper, but they did where it counted - on the pitch.

Leicestershire may have finished bottom of Division 2 by some distance, but they did give Paul Nixon a fitting send-off by lifting the FLt20, so this award has to go to Yorkshire, who in the words of their own chairman were 'a bloody disgrace'.

With due deference to Glen Chapple and Marcus Trescothick, this award has to go to the unheralded Will Gidman for becoming the first English qualified player since David Capel in 1989 to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets. So why didn't he receive a call-up to any of England's winter performance squads? No, we don't know either.

Best Batsman

Marcus Trescothick, who scored nearly 300 Championship runs more than any other batsman despite missing his side's last three matches. Tres ought to almost receive a handicap such is his total dominance of county bowlers.

93 Championship wickets is impossible to argue with even with the supposed advantage of having a Tiflex cricket ball in your hand, so David Masters pips Alan Richardson (Worcestershire's saviour), Chapple, Kyle Hogg and Tim Murtagh for this honour.

Best Spinner

Gary Keedy may not have received as many plaudits as old Long John Silver himself, Glen Chapple, but his contribution of 61 wickets at under 24 was just as crucial to Lancashire's title success, and enables him to pip Monty Panesar and team-mate Simon Kerrigan for this prize.

Best Cameo

Shivnarine Chanderpaul looked to have this one sown up until Warwickshire failed to secure victory at the Rose Bowl on the final day, so Pragyan Ojha steals this prize for a stunning four match cameo with Surrey. Four wins, 24 wickets at 13 and promotion back to Division 2. And the Indian selectors picked Amit Mishra above him?

Worst Player

South African bowlers didn't exactly cover themselves in glory with Friedel de Wet and Wayne Parnell struggling for Hampshire and Sussex respectively, but Lonwabo Tsotsobe took the biscuit here. Five wickets in three first-clas matches at 77 and a broadside via Twitter prompted Essex coach Paul Grayson to describe him as 'downright rude'. Thanks to @ianashworth for reminding us about this one.

Best Temporary Home

Unquestionably Aigburth. How many times have Lancashire been foiled by the Manchester weather and Old Trafford pitch? A temporary move along the M62 to the sunshine coast of Liverpool and voila, a first title for 77 years. Liverpool 1 Manchester 0.

Let them catch the next bouquet

Surely it's time perenniel bridesmaids Somerset got hitched? Runners-up finishes in the FLt20 and CB40 meant it five second places out of the last six domestic prizes to be awarded leads one to speculate that Somerset would probably finish second in a one horse race.

The Devon Loch honorary Award

At one time it looked like this would go to one of the four title chasing protagonists in Division 1, but by the end of the season there was only one candidate for this award. Northamptonshire looked absolute certainties for promotion to Division 1, but only managed to win one of their last seven matches. They fared no better in the CB40 where despite winning their first five matches, they failed to reach the semi-finals. Did Andrew Hall's South African background obviously had an unexpected choking effect on his charges?

Best Youngster

Mentions to Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Alex Hales, but this one has to go to Jonathan Bairstow. He stood tall in the manure that was Yorkshire's season and his blistering one day debut innings was the delicious cherry on the top.

Best Resurrection

Only one possible winner here - Michael Carberry, whose return from a debilitating illness was the most uplifting story of the summer.

The demise of the Tiflex was disappointing, but the ridiculous fixture schedule has to take the wooden spoon here. For example, Leicestershire finished a championship match on the Thursday, won the FLt20 on the Saturday, played the Indian tourists on the Monday and then started another Championship game against Middlesex on the Tuesday. It is hardly surprising that Middlesex ended the first day on 370 for 1.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Picking the best XI players from what has been another thrilling County Championship season is no easy thing, hence our naming separate teams for Division 1 and Division 2 earlier in the week.

But in our column this week for All Out Cricket, we've taken the plunge and bravely picked our composite XI for the season - check out First XI Amongst Equals to see if you agree (or more likely vehementally disagree) with us.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Marcus Trescothick (Somerset) - 1673 runs at 79.66: Scored 300 runs more than any other batsman despite missing his side's last three games and has once and for all usurped Mark Ramprakash as the premier batsman in domestic cricket. Agonisingly fell just 22 runs short of achieving the Holy Grail of a 1,000 runs before the end of May. Smashed six hundreds including one in each innings against Yorkshire in May.

Stephen Moore (Lancashire) - 1013 runs at 40.52: Others scored more runs (principally Alex Hales with 1023 runs at 51.15 from just 12 Championship matches), but Moore's knack of making vital contributions at critical times played a leading role in Lancashire's title success. His unbeaten 124 anchored his side in a stiff run chase at Trent Bridge, his 169 not out against Hampshire set up a crucial last gasp win in the penultimate round of matches and the former Worcestershire batsman finished off with 71 from 55 to spur the charge to victory on a tumultuous final day at Taunton.

Michael Carberry (Hampshire) - 793 runs at 56.64: His successful comeback from a life-threatening debilitating illness was one of the feelgood stories of the summer. Three splendid hundreds in nine games included a career best 300 not out against Yorkshire and a hundred on the final day of the season to help deny Warwickshire the title. Carberry's return coincided with Hampshire's revival but came too late to save them from relegation.

Murray Goodwin (Sussex) - 1372 runs at 52.76: Zimbabwe's loss was yet again Sussex's gain as Goodwin anchored a steady return to Division 1 for the county he helped inspire to three titles in the noughties. Four hundreds were topped by his 274 against Division 1 whipping boys Yorkshire. Gets into our XI ahead of Vikram Solanki (1148 runs at 42.51) who performed a similar role as Worcestershire defied the odds to stay up with Sussex.

Dale Benkenstein (Durham) - 1353 runs at 61.50: Durham's title charge may have spluttered, but Benkenstein was consistency personified with 13 scores of 50 (including four hundreds) or more from 26 innings to once again prove that he is definitely not a mercenary.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) - 1015 runs at 46.13: Having finally removed the monkey from his back in reaching his maiden ton in his 59th first-class innings (and promptly turning it into a double), the sublime Bairstow didn't look back. An impressive season culminated in a stunning ODI debut at Cardiff and Bairstow should clearly be exonerated from the ire heaped on his team-mates by Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves after their ignominious relegation. Scores his runs quickly as a Championship strike rate of a touch under 70 ably demonstrates and looks to have the talent and nerve to forge an international career as a specialist batsman.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) - 56 wickets at 21.78; 579 runs at 48.25: Injury may have restricted him to 11 matches, but that did not lessen the impact he made with both bat and ball, as well as the huge influence he had on Warwickshire's title challenge. His performance with the ball was particularly telling and a strike rate of 43.5 is indicative of the regularity with which he struck. Pips team-mate Rikki Clarke as well as Samit Patel, Ben Stokes and Ian Blackwell to the all-rounder's spot in our XI.

Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) - 67 wickets at 22.61; 551 runs at 23.95: Last year's champions may have faltered badly in their attempt to retain their crown, but that wasn't down to 2010's leading wicket-taker Adams who was once again outstanding and pips Alan Richardson (the leading wicket-taker in Division 1 with 73 wickets at 24.42), Boyd Rankin and Ryan Sidebottom as the third seamer in our XI. Adams also added vital ballast to the lower order with five fifties and a strike rate of 100.

Glen Chapple (Lancashire, Captain) - 55 wickets at 19.81; 365 runs at 19.21: Despite battling leg problems all season, the lion-hearted Chapple battled on to inspire his troops and write his name in Lancashire folklore. Delivered time and time again with the ball - no more so than in the final game at Taunton where he took three 2nd innings wickets despite a bad hamstring tear - and also added useful late order runs. Clearly, a man you would want in the trenches with you, Chapple epitomised the spirit and togetherness that took Lancashire to the promised land after 77 long years in the Championship wilderness. And Yorkshire fans, he was born in Skipton...

Kyle Hogg (Lancashire) - 50 wickets at 18.80; 365 runs at 21.47: Started the season late but immediately made up for lost time with an 11 wicket haul at the Rose Bowl and ended up with a half-century of wickets at a phenomenal strike rate of a wicket every 37 balls - the best by far of anyone with more than 10 wickets. Also contributed several useful cameos with the bat.

Gary Keedy (Lancashire) - 61 wickets at 23.63: With Chapple and Hogg plundering wickets at one end, the experienced Keedy waded in at the other with 61 priceless wickets. His success rubbed off on his spin twin and likely successor Simon Kerrigan. Keedy is the slow bowling option in our XI ahead of Monty Panesar who may have taken more wickets (69), but did so at a higher average and ten balls more per wicket.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

With the County Championship on an enforced break thanks to the ‘delights’ of the domestic T20 competition, we thought it was a good opportunity for us to select the Reverse Sweep’s Division 1 XI of the season so far. Our Division 2 selection will follow tomorrow.

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire): 726 runs at 55.84 – A pair of double hundreds against Somerset and Worcestershire in his first two matches suggested a rebirth after a barren 2010. Whilst he has only recorded one half century in the Championship since, he has starred in the CB40 and has done just enough in our opinion to get the nod ahead of the Sussex pair Chris Nash and Ed Joyce.

Luke Wells (Sussex): 574 runs at 52.18 – The rookie has surpassed all expectations in his first full season at Hove. His maiden hundred helped Sussex chase down over 300 against Durham, his second secured a draw at the Rose Bowl and his third came after being promoted to open against Yorkshire. Clearly a huge talent.

Ben Stokes (Durham): 609 runs at 55.36, 17 wickets at 33.00 – Promise fulfilled from one of our ones to watch in 2011. The youngster looked a good prospect in 2010 but is now clearly an exceptional one. With the bat he has three hundreds at a strike rate of over 70 and nearly achieved cricketing immortality with five sixes in one Liam Dawson over in April. He has also improved dramatically with the ball and whilst he still goes for a few, has the happy knack of taking wickets. Just don’t call him the new Flintoff.

Dale Benkenstein (Durham): 855 runs at 77.72 – South Africa’s loss continues to be Durham’s gain. Like Trescothick, he has hit four championship tons and has been the model of consistency in what has been a prolific Durham batting line-up. The second highest run scorer in the country.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire): 749 runs at 68.09 - Has shone as much as Yorkshire have been dismal. After 58 first-class innings and 17 scores of 50 plus, Bairstow finally reached three figures against Notts and promptly turned his maiden ton into a double. Having removed the monkey from his back, he scored a second century at Taunton soon after. He still has some room for improvement with the gloves, but at this rate he will be good enough to play for England as a specialist batsman.

Ian Blackwell (Durham): 558 runs at 50.72, 19 wickets at 28.42 – The balance of this XI would be better with a leg-spinner such as Adil Rashid or Steve Borthwick, but it has proved impossible for us to ignore the larger than life Blackwell. He has the best strike rate of any batsman in Division 1 with over 300 runs (78.59) and the best economy rate of any bowler with more than seven wickets (a miserly 2.06 runs per over).

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire): 24 wickets at 18.54, 262 runs at 52.40 – He may have been laid low by spin splints, but Woakes did enough in his four matches to warrant selection. After starting with nine wickets and a hundred against pre-season favourites Somerset, Woakes continued to impress with bat and ball. His strike rate of a wicket every 36 balls is the best of those that have bowled over 60 overs.

Steve Kirby (Somerset): 31 wickets at 25.00 – One of the ultimate unsung heroes, Kirby has held together what is a fairly ramshackle and pedestrian Somerset bowling attack to take a steady flow of wickets even on Taunton’s batting paradise. Second to only Gary Keedy as Division 1’s leading wicket taker.

Gary Keedy (Lancashire): 34 wickets at 22.35 – Talking of unsung heroes, Keedy has been Lancashire’s undoubted star in their impressive first half of the season. Has enjoyed bowling at Aigburth, no more so when picking up ten wickets in the Roses match when he had staggering match figures of 77.3-14-177-10. Keedy has been the best spinner in the country to date ahead of supposed bigger names like Panesar and Rashid.

Alviro Petersen (Glamorgan) – When we made-up with the Glamorgan captain after our spat on Twitter, we implored him to score a double hundred. He did just that at The Oval in what by all accounts was a wonderful innings. Good on you, Alviro.

Will Smith (Durham) – A sad tale with a happy ending. Smith abruptly resigned the Durham captaincy halfway through 2010 and didn’t play again last summer. But he is back now and his 179 set up an innings victory against Warwickshire.

Karl Brown (Lancashire) – The likes of Dale Benkenstein, Usman Khawaja and Sam Robson may have scored tons, but Brown’s anchoring innings of 96 on a tricky Rose Bowl pitch gets him the nod for this XI.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) – His golden summer continued with 136 and 80 in the defeat at Taunton. A good long-term bet to eventually replace Matt Prior in the Test side.

Andrew McDonald (Leicestershire) – The game with the Division 2 leaders may have petered out to a draw, but not before McDonald had exhibited his all-round abilities with 164 and 51 not out with the bat and three wickets in Northamptonshire’s only innings.

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Normally more of a batting all-rounder, but starred with the ball at Edgbaston taking seven wickets as Warwickshire were trounced by an innings. One of our ten to watch in 2011.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) – In a poor week for spinners, Rashid bagged four first innings wickets and then an unbeaten 51 at Taunton. However, his is a fortunate selection given that he went for 88 in 10.1 wicketless overs in the second innings as he was punished severely by Trescothick.

Kyle Hogg (Lancashire) – Took a stunning 11 for 59 as the leaders cruised to victory at the Rose Bowl including a first innings seven for 28. Not bad for his first Championship outing of the season.

Tim Murtagh (Middlesex) – Eight wickets in the match to nearly help Middlesex to victory at Chelmsford.

Ashley Shaw (Kent) – The 20 year old bagged a five-fer on Championship debut at Canterbury.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The England selectors will meet in the coming days to pick their Lions squad to face the Sri Lankan tourists in a game starting on 19th May at Derby.

They will have their work cut out as one of the features of what has been a fascinating start to the County Championship is the number of impressive performances by young English cricketers.

We’ve had a go at naming our XI:

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire) – The former England under-19 captain has started the season like a runaway train and deserves an opportunity to see whether he can flourish against an international bowling attack.

Adam Lyth (Yorkshire) – Whilst the young opener still needs to turn more of his fifties into big hundreds, he is still probably at the head of a queue that also includes Stephen Moore and Jimmy Adams. But for injury Alex Hales and Michael Carberry would also have come into the equation.

James Hildreth (Captain, Somerset) – Has had a bit of a slow start to the season after a phenomenal summer in 2010 and impressive performances for the Lions over the winter, but is still on the shortlist for the vacancy created in the Test side by the retirement of Paul Collingwood.

Ravi Bopara (Essex) – With Eoin Morgan opting for the riches of the IPL, Bopara is Collingwood’s probable replacement in the Test squad. He is running into form with the bat as an unbeaten match-winning ton in his last Championship match Glamorgan testifies. Underrated bowler.

James Taylor (Leicestershire) – Supremely talented and gutsy too, if his batting against a fiery Surrey attack on a lively Oval pitch last week is anything to go by. It is a case of when, not if, Taylor plays Test cricket. Other middle-order batsmen that could come into contention include Samit Patel, Andrew Gale and Ben Stokes.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) – It’s a borderline decision between the Somerset keeper and Stephen Davies, but Kieswetter has made the more impressive start to the season. Jonathan Bairstow may also get a mention in dispatches.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) – Presumably the selectors know all they need to about Monty Panesar, so the game against Sri Lanka offers another opportunity to take a look at the young Rashid - still the pick of an ever-growing list of young English spinners that also includes Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick and Simon Kerrigan.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) – Not many have started the season better than Warwickshire’s bowling all-rounder, who has 24 wickets in the Championship at 18.54 and 262 runs at 52.40. A real candidate for further England honours after demonstrating he had the temperament for international cricket in Australia over the winter.

Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire) – Has now been on the fringes of the England Test, ODI and T20 sides for a while now and deserves his chance to show what he can do against the tourists. Alex Hales’ jaw will vouch that Shahzad has fully recovered from the injury that saw his World Cup curtailed early.

Steve Finn (Middlesex) – With Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad likely to be in a three-way race for two spots in the Test XI, the selectors will probably want to take a look at next cab on the rank Finn in a Lions shirt.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey) – The surprise late call-up to the World Cup looked the real deal against Leicestershire last week and will probably pip the likes of Steve Kirby, Stuart Meaker, James Harris, the returning Graham Onions and 17 year old Reece Topley to the final spot in the XI.

Monday, May 09, 2011

Yet again our County Championship XI of the week features a number of promising youngsters, suggesting the England cricket side looks set to be in rude health for some time yet; and Amen to that:

Joe Root (Yorkshire) – The 20 year old continues to impress even if he failed by just five runs to record his maiden first-class hundred against the reigning county champions at Trent Bridge.

Luke Wells (Sussex) – His maiden first-class ton helped Sussex chase down 308 to beat Durham and now his second just two weeks later secured a draw at the Rose Bowl.

Mark Ramprakash (Surrey) – Looked like he’d never been away with 37 and 91 on an Oval green top. Even at 41, his powers show no sign of dimming.

Chris Taylor (Gloucestershire) – Scored 117 and 60 to help end Middlesex’s 100% start to the season in a draw at Bristol.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) – After 58 first-class innings including 17 scores of 50 plus, 21 year old Bairstow finally reached three figures at Trent Bridge and promptly turned his maiden ton into a double.

James Vince (Hampshire) – The 20 year old Michael Vaughan clone registered a stylish second career ton against Sussex at the Rose Bowl.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) – After a poor domestic season in 2010, Kieswetter continued his resurgence with 117 on an untypically testing Taunton pitch to set up victory over Worcestershire.

Stuart Meaker (Surrey) – Took eight wickets in the match as Surrey’s pace battery proved too much for Leicestershire at The Oval.

Gemaal Hussain (Somerset) – Finally repaid some of the faith shown by his new county for securing his services over the winter by taking a career best six for 33 to propel Somerset to victory over Worcestershire.

Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire) – Made excellent use of a poor Edgbaston pitch to take seven wickets in the match including five for seven in the 2nd innings as the slow left-armer made a bang on his first Championship appearance of the summer.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey) – Surrey’s gamble to prepare (or should that be underprepare?) a green Oval deck paid off as one of our ten to watch in 2011 took seven wickets in the match to spearhead his side to the win that lifted them off the bottom of the table.

Monday, April 04, 2011

The White Rose county are swiftly becoming our second favourite team for their exciting young side and a seemingly endless supply of talented English cricketers. They were in the mix for the title right up until the final round of matches in 2010, before finishing third. Can they climb the final two steps in 2011?

Strengths

One would think that such a young side can only get better. The squad certainly looks well-balanced with a good leader in Andrew Gale and an abundance of talent in the batting ranks with the likes of Gale himself, Adam Lyth, Jonathan Bairstow, Anthony McGrath and the dogged Joe Sayers.

The bowling looks strong also with England stars Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, backed up by the returning Ryan Sidebottom, Steven Pattinson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby. That’s the pace department taken care of and then you have spinners Adil Rashid and the hopefully rehabilitated David Wainwright.

All in all Yorkshire have the look of a side that could go all the way.

Weaknesses

The loss of Jacques Rudolph is massive – whereas as last season the likes of Lyth and Bairstow provided support to Yorkshire’s main batting star, this time they will have to be the ones getting the big hundreds. The talent in the squad means the likes of Bresnan, Shahzad and possibly Rashid and Gale will be called away by England.

Main man

After being messed around a bit by England, Adil Rashid took some time to get started last season but when he did wickets and runs flowed in equal measure. Expect the upward curve to continue in 2011.

Look out for…

A serious tilt at the title and more plaudits for Gale’s captaincy.

Prediction

3rd – If Rudolph was still around then we’d be backing them for the title, but otherwise we expect them to fall a bit short.

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